XOXO
by ILikeShorts
Summary: She sends him a card that says it all. He doesn't say anything back. So what is she supposed to think? Well, maybe he never reads his mail. Maybe he ran off to Johto with that Gym Leader slash Coordinator slash whatever. Maybe his Luxray ate it. Or maybe he's just ignoring her. Candice/Volkner, Valentine's Day style.
1. Openhearted

**- 1 -**

** Openhearted**

* * *

Tomorrow was Valentine's Day, and Candice was absolutely, positively, one hundred percent single. And it didn't bother her one bit.

Not at all. Not in the least. Not even when one of the less tactful trainers at her gym had come right out and asked her how she could possibly be looking forward to the big day when she didn't even have a date.

It'd be silly to let something like that ruin it for her. Date or no date, it was still a fantastic holiday filled with romance and chocolate. What more could a girl ask for?

Okay, and if she was being totally honest, she was still clinging to the tiniest shred of hope that a certain Gym Leader might somehow make his way into her Valentine's Day plans. Not that she'd ever tell her trainers that. They'd probably just laugh. But they hadn't seen the way Volkner looked at her sometimes.

She hadn't thought he liked her much at first. She'd actually thought he was kind of a jerk. But now she understood why Volkner was the way he was. He wasn't exactly the friendliest guy in the world—not until you got to know him, anyway. And she hadn't known him. Not really. But then his best friend Flint had thrown this huge blowout of a party, and while Flint was off being his party animal self, Volkner had conveniently happened to sit down next to her. They'd talked almost the whole night, and that was when she'd started to see that Volkner wasn't just another gorgeous guy with an attitude problem. He was a gorgeous guy with a tendency to get a little depressed from time to time, but a strong sense of loyalty to his friends and a knowledge of advanced Pokémon tactics that even she was jealous of. Not to mention the most electrifying smile she'd ever seen—when he actually let her see it, that was.

So she and Volkner had kept talking. They traded battle strategies, which had done wonders for her gym record, and sometimes they even met up for a quick battle themselves. (He won about three-quarters of the time. But someday she was going to change that.) And every so often, when she caught him staring at her in Pokémon League meetings and he glanced back at her for that brief moment before turning his attention to something else, she wondered if there was even a slight chance…

But anyway. She couldn't think about it now. She had to focus. She'd already stepped into the path of her Glaceon's Water Pulse once today, which was exactly what she deserved for daydreaming about Volkner in the gym. And it had hurt. But it wasn't anything to be concerned about. She didn't even panic when all the other trainers told her she'd better get herself to a doctor, because if that kind of attack could confuse Pokémon, who knew what it would do to her?

They worried too much. It was just water. How much harm could that do?

But then she started to feel a bit... different. Her mind was going a million miles a minute, and everything that seemed like a good idea to her was met with less-than-subtle suggestions that it might be nice to take a pre-Valentine's Day afternoon off. And when one irrational decision after another nearly lost her a practice match with a trainer who'd joined the gym less than a week ago, she knew something wasn't right. So, after reminding everyone for the millionth time that Valentine's Day was serious business and the gym would be closed tomorrow and nobody (absolutely _nobody_) was to set foot in it, Candice went home.

Well, almost. She stopped at the Poké Mart first. The gym was running low on potions, and since she was already missing out on a half-day of training, stocking up on them now was the least she could do.

And that was when she saw them. Valentine's Day cards. Really, really pretty ones. She hadn't given out valentines in forever.

Candice had an idea. The best idea she'd had all day. Why not buy them? She could send valentine messages to the other Gym Leaders. It'd be so much fun…

* * *

_Roark,_

_Hope you're having a great Valentine's Day! And I really hope you're not spending it down in the mines!_

_Okay, so I'm just going to come right out and say this. You like Gardenia. I can tell. Everyone can. She's the only thing you talk about more than fossils. (Don't worry, I think it's cute. And I know she thinks so, too.) So do something about it, why don't you? _

_I'll even help you out. Her favorite flowers are roses. (Not gardenias… surprising, I know, right? It must have something to do with that Roserade of hers.) So put that advice to good use, because this is the one day a year that pretty much anybody can get away with grand romantic gestures._

_Good luck,_

_Candice_

* * *

_Gardenia,_

_How's your Valentine's Day so far? Romantic? Well, it's going to be soon!_

_That's right. I don't want to spoil it, but I've got a little valentine surprise for you. Maybe. It depends on whether a certain someone has the balls to… well, never mind. You'll find out when it happens!_

_Or, if it happens. And if it doesn't, let me know ASAP so I can give you-know-who a real hard time about it, mmmkay?_

_Love ya,_

_Candice_

* * *

_Fantina,_

_So, I was wondering… do they even have Valentine's Day where you're from?_

_Well, they should. It's an awesome holiday, or, as you would say, a fantastique one. So enjoy it, and try not to worry too much about the fact that you're still single at your age. I'm sure some hot thirty or forty-something Coordinator will come along soon._

_And if not, well, there's always Wake._

_Just kidding,_

_Candice_

_P.S. Sorry, Fantina, I couldn't resist! Don't hate me, okay?_

* * *

_Wake,_

_Oops, sorry. I meant Crasher Wake._

_Anyway, you know what would be super cool? If you had a special Valentine's Day theme song. Spreading romance throughout the seas, Crasher Wake! Riding on the waves of love, Crasher Wake!_

_No? Well, I liked it, anyway._

_Happy Valentine's Day,_

_Candice_

* * *

_Maylene,_

_It's Valentine's Day, so give the exercises a rest and go do something fun! Eat lots of chocolate (yeah, sure, it won't help your training much, but today, who cares?) and get in touch with that cute bug trainer I know you're dying to see._

_I've said it a million times, but you and Aaron are made for each other. So hurry up and send that boy a valentine before I do it for you!_

_No, really, you'd better get a move on. Unless you want him getting one of those cheesy Combee My Valentine cards with your name on it. I'm only half joking._

_Lots of love,_

_Candice_

* * *

_Byron,_

_Happy Valentine's Day! Have a nice time with your wife!_

_Wait, do you even have a wife? I always kind of assumed you did since you have a son and all, but if you don't then this is super awkward and you should probably ignore everything I just wrote._

_Speaking of your son, you might need to give him a kick in the pants if he doesn't get his act together and make a move on… well, he's your son. I'm sure you know who I mean by now. I doubt you're one for matchmaking, but pretty please? It'd make two people's Valentine's Day a whole lot happier._

_Actually, three. Mine too, because it was my idea._

_Thanks a million,_

_Candice_

* * *

_Volkner,_

_Before I say anything, relax. The last thing I want you to do is freak out thinking I'm head over heels in love with you and never talk to me again. Because it's not like that._

_I'm just really starting to like you. That's it. No big deal. So I was thinking, since it's Valentine's Day, and I'm pretty sure you're not doing anything besides possibly causing another citywide blackout, maybe we could get together and hang out? I bet you can't say no to the Battle Frontier!_

_So am I right or what? If you want to be my valentine, or even just my friend, all you have to do is say so. If not, well, Happy Valentine's Day anyway!_

_XOXO,_

_Candice_

* * *

And with all of her valentines finished, Candice made one last trip to the gym to leave them for pickup by the official Snowpoint Gym Delibird, who would deliver them throughout Sinnoh the next morning.

Tomorrow was going to be awesome.


	2. Downhearted

**- 2 -**

**Downhearted**

* * *

Candice woke up on Valentine's Day with a love song blaring in her ears and a memory of the night before that was hazy at best. She didn't remember setting her alarm to go off so early. She didn't even remember going to bed. Apparently, that Water Pulse had hit her a lot harder than she'd thought.

But she remembered the valentines. She almost wished she didn't. What had she been thinking?

Roark was going to freak. Gardenia was going to freak at _her_ for being so hard on Roark. Fantina had no sense of humor when it came to jokes about her age. Wake would either love or hate what she'd done with his theme song, but it was kind of embarrassing no matter what. Poor Maylene wasn't going to have any fun now that she'd be stressing over Aaron all day. Byron would not be amused, and he definitely wasn't going to help her play matchmaker. And Volkner…

Oh, Arceus. She didn't even want to think about that.

She couldn't let those valentines get out. So she ran to the gym as fast as she could. Never mind that she was still wearing her Vanillite pajamas. Never mind that the gym was closed and she'd insisted herself that nobody (absolutely _nobody_) set foot in it. This was an emergency.

But they were already gone. Delibird had always been very reliable. She'd never had a reason to complain about it until now.

* * *

By the end of the day, Candice had received a number of very interesting phone calls. Almost every Gym Leader around had had a few things to say to her, and some had been nicer than others. Take Fantina, for example. Who'd have thought such a seemingly elegant lady would know so many foreign curse words?

Thankfully, that had been the worst of it. At least Wake could take a joke, even if the song hadn't gone over so well. (They weren't waves of _love_, he'd insisted. They were unstoppable waves of _awesome_. Whatever that meant.)

Anyway, Maylene sure wasn't complaining. She'd gone through three and a half boxes of valentine cards agonizing over what to say to Aaron when her Lucario had decided enough was enough and literally dragged her to the Pokémon League building. Luckily, it turned out Lucario knew best—Aaron had been downright psyched to see her.

There was still no word on whether or not Byron had a wife, but he'd been very confused as to why Candice was so determined to meddle in his son's affairs. To which she'd replied that if Roark hadn't acted on his not-so-secret crush by now, then maybe some not-so-subtle nudging from his dear old dad would do the trick. To her surprise, Byron had actually seemed to agree with this.

But the real surprise was that Byron hadn't needed to do a thing. Roark had taken her advice without question, and he and Gardenia were now having a Valentine's Day picnic in—of all places—the Oreburgh Mines. Which was just about the least romantic picnic spot she could imagine, but oh well. She couldn't help the guy with everything.

The only person she hadn't heard from was Volkner. And all she could think about was _why_.

There was no forgetting about something like that. Nobody else had wasted any time in telling her exactly what they thought of her little valentine surprise, that was for sure.

Well, maybe Volkner just never bothered to read his mail. Maybe he thought valentines were stupid—knowing him, that wouldn't be a huge shocker—and threw them in the trash straight away.

Maybe he'd gotten so many valentines from random female admirers that hers was lost at the bottom at the pile. Or some jealous trainer girl at his gym had found it first and decided to hide it. Or burn it. Or toss it in the sea.

Maybe he'd laughed at it for hours, and then he'd called up Flint and read it over the phone so Flint could have a good laugh, too. Or maybe he was out with Flint, and the two of them had been carrying on some kind of secret relationship all this time and no one had ever noticed because all that best friend business was such a great cover-up.

Maybe his Luxray had eaten it.

Maybe he'd run off to Johto with that Gym Leader slash Coordinator slash whatever. She and Volkner had always gotten along just a little too well.

Or maybe she hadn't written Volkner's name very legibly in her Water Pulse-induced insanity and the valentine had actually gone to Johto, where that Falkner guy was now extremely confused as to why some girl he'd met once at a Gym Leader Conference ages ago was suddenly asking him for a date.

Maybe Volkner felt the same way she did. Maybe he'd been daydreaming on the job, too, and now he was just dying to call her and tell her all about how her valentine had made his day and of course he'd love to go out, but, as luck would have it, he'd been hit by a Thunder Wave and he was too paralyzed to pick up the phone. And maybe this whole thing was starting to drive her crazy, because that was about as likely as Volkner passing up a battle with Lucas to hang out with the Ribbon Syndicate.

Maybe he was just ignoring her.

That had to be the reason why. As much as she hated to admit it.

What had she expected him to do, anyway? Send back an embarrassing valentine of his own? Make a dramatic declaration of love on national television? Show up at her house with flowers and chocolates and a jewel-encrusted locket with their gym badge designs engraved inside?

This wasn't exactly the world's biggest romantic she was dealing with here. It was Volkner, who turned down dates left and right to mess around with machinery. He probably didn't even like Valentine's Day.

He probably didn't even like _her_. Not in the way she wanted him to.

* * *

Her trainers would never let her live it down in a million years if they found out, but Candice had spent the better part of the day at the gym. So what if nobody (absolutely _nobody_) was supposed to set foot in it? She wasn't the leader there for nothing.

She'd gone home that morning and changed out of her Vanillite pajamas, just in case. After all, it would kind of ruin things to be dressed for a slumber party if a miracle happened and Volkner showed up. She'd been relatively optimistic in putting on a short blue skirt and an ultra-soft sweater that practically screamed "Hug me." It was pretty, but not too dressy for the Battle Frontier. But now that Valentine's Day was coming to an end and all she'd done was rearrange the snowball puzzle five or six times, it just felt like a waste of a perfectly cute outfit.

Needless to say, the gym was not where she wanted to be. But what else did she have to do tonight? She didn't feel like popping in a romantic comedy or curling up with a love story anymore. Now that she'd messed things up so badly for herself, the idea of watching a fairytale romance unfold wasn't fun. It was heartbreaking.

And she couldn't have a girls' night with Maylene and Gardenia now that they were off having their own happy Valentine's Days with the guys of their dreams—partly thanks to her, of course. It really wasn't fair. Why did she have to be so good at running everyone's love lives but her own?

Not that she wasn't really, truly happy for her two best friends. She was just really, truly sad for herself at the same time.

Candice was knee-deep in snowballs when a loud knock startled her from her thoughts. She hadn't been expecting any challengers. Especially since she'd hung a giant "Closed for Valentine's Day" sign on the door.

"Gym's closed," she mumbled, not even bothering to turn around. Couldn't this person read? If they wanted a badge, they'd come on the wrong day.

"I'm not here for a battle."

Volkner was standing in the doorway. And she couldn't help but notice, with a pang of nervousness, that he wasn't carrying flowers. Or chocolates. Or anything else that might indicate he was there to do anything other than ask her what the heck that valentine was all about.

There was no telling what he was thinking. "That was some card you sent me this morning."


	3. Wholehearted

**- 3 -**

**Wholehearted**

* * *

There wasn't much that made Candice nervous. It was useless to get nervous. All it did was ruin her focus and mess things up, and, anyway, she wasn't that type of girl.

Which was why she had absolutely no idea how to cope with the overwhelming, dizzying, hopelessly weak-in-the-knees feeling that came over her when Volkner looked at her like _that._

"Um, about that card…" Her voice came out shakier than ever as she struggled to find the words she was looking for. There had to be a way to explain herself without sounding one Pokémon short of a full team. Because she wasn't. She'd just been a tiny bit out of her mind the day before, that was all. "I took a Water Pulse in the head yesterday. A big one. And I think it must have hit me a little too hard because this whole valentine thing seemed like such a great idea at the time," she went on, painfully aware that she was rambling faster than Barry on a sugar high, but at a loss for how to stop. "And I know it was totally out of nowhere and I'm sorry if I made things awkward and if you want we can just forget it ever happened—"

"Candice—"

"And I really hope we can still be friends—"

"_Candice_. Shut up."

She shot him an icy glare. "You're really rude, you know that?"

"Finally." Volkner held up the valentine she'd sent him with a smirk. "And you're the one telling me to relax. You can't honestly think I came all the way to Snowpoint to complain."

Okay, so he had a point. He didn't exactly live close by. And it wasn't like he had nothing better to do. He wouldn't make a trip like that to _not _go out with someone he didn't like. "You mean…"

His never-ending confidence seemed to falter a little as he stepped toward her. "You wanted to get together and hang out, didn't you? Well, I'm here."

That was a yes. Definitely a yes. Overcome by sheer relief and something that felt a lot like bliss, she ran to hug Volkner, forgetting for an instant that her gym was made almost entirely of ice. She lost her footing before she knew it, crashing gracelessly into his chest and nearly knocking him to the ground.

It was a good thing he'd managed to catch her. As she scrambled to regain her balance, she found herself tangled in his arms, peering up at his laughing face. "Sorry about that." She giggled. "Happens all the time."

"Hey, take it easy." He steadied her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Wouldn't want you to hit your head again."

But then something else hit her. If he'd been up for this all along, why hadn't he just picked up the phone and said so? "You could have called, you know," she accused, giving him a playful shove. It wasn't until it turned out a lot harder than she'd intended that she realized how upset she actually was. "I'm serious, Volkner. Do you have any idea how unbelievably not fun it was to wait around for you all day?"

The way he was looking at her, she might as well have slapped him in the face. "I didn't think of that," he admitted, mumbling a quiet apology. And she had to give him some credit—he really did sound sorry. "Look. I don't do Valentine's Day. I don't even _like_ Valentine's Day. If you want the truth, I almost didn't go through with this."

"With _what_?" There was hardly anything to go through with. "You practically live at the Battle Frontier anyway. So just because it's Valentine's Day and I'm coming with you, all of a sudden it has to be this big deal?"

But maybe that was her fault. She was the one who'd made it a big deal with her stupid card.

"That's the thing. I'm not taking you to the Battle Frontier."

She stared at him in confusion. "But I thought you loved it there."

"I do." He flashed her that paralyzing grin of his, and for a moment she wondered if they'd never make it out of the gym because she was going to faint right then and there. "But it's Valentine's Day, Candice. This is _your _day. It's the one day you get to be as much of a hopeless romantic as you want and nobody can laugh at you or tell you to get a life. You don't really want to spend it at the Battle Frontier, do you?"

That was when it dawned on her. Volkner didn't just want to hang out and battle. He wanted something more than that. "Well… no."

"Good. Because I've got other ideas."

* * *

She could have guessed that they'd end up in Sunyshore. She could even have guessed that he'd take her to the lighthouse. He'd always said it was one of his favorite places, after all. But she never could have guessed what she'd find waiting for her there.

"Volkner, it's… incredible." As she gazed out at the horizon with him at her side, a rainbow of fireworks lit up the sky, coloring the already picturesque view with every shade imaginable. "I've gotta say, I never expected you of all people to come up with something like this."

He dismissed her remark with a careless wave of his hand. "I just like it here. Fireworks or not."

Candice had been taken completely by surprise. They didn't do anything this spectacular in Snowpoint, that was for sure. "This is so cool," she gushed. "I mean, who knew Valentine's Day was such a big thing here? Kind of makes me wish I lived in Sunyshore."

Volkner just smiled. "Feel free to visit anytime."

* * *

This was quickly turning out to be the most perfect Valentine's Day ever. Volkner had taken her hand in his, and she reveled in the feeling and watched with fascination as another firework burst into the air. And another… and another… they were going off like there was no tomorrow. The whole sky was filled with them, streaking through the heavens in bold ribbons of color. It was the most ridiculous over the top _amazing_ thing she'd ever seen.

"Whoa." She giggled. "Looks like somebody likes fire a little too much."

"No kidding." He moved a touch closer, his arm now around her waist, and she noted happily that he was laughing right along with her.

"Who does these, anyway?"

Volkner just shrugged. "How would I know?"

* * *

It was just the two of them. Just her and Volkner and the breathtaking view, though she didn't think anything could compare to those shocking blue eyes of his.

"It's almost like a movie." Like the ending to a Pokéwood romance, but real. And much, much better.

"What, this?"

Realizing too late that she'd been thinking out loud, Candice felt a warm blush spread across her cheeks. "Sure. It's way too pretty to be real life, don't you think? And isn't it strange how we're the only people here? You'd think this place would be packed with couples."

Volkner grinned. "Not that strange."

"Why do I get the feeling you know something I don't?"

At that, he got a little quieter, staring off into the distance for what seemed like an eternity before he finally spoke. "It's closed. Closed for repairs."

"Ooh, you're such a rebel," she joked. "Wonder what the repairman'll say when he finds us here?"

"That'd be me."

"Lucky for us. So what's wrong with the lighthouse, anyway?"

Volkner averted his eyes once more, and she began to wonder if maybe this was some top secret electrical business he wasn't allowed to discuss. But then a look of resignation crossed his features, and what followed was something she'd never forget.

"Nothing at all."

Her heart skipped a beat as she caught the implications of what he'd said. He'd closed the lighthouse so they could be there together. Alone. "Wow," she whispered, not quite believing it herself. "That's really romantic, Volkner."

"Well, yeah," he replied nonchalantly. "That's kind of what I was going for."

"Know what would make it even more romantic?" she hazarded, her gaze locked on his smile.

He leaned toward her, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You know, I think I do."

The kiss he gave her made even the fireworks seem dull.

* * *

She drew back from him but didn't let go, her hands hot against the cool fabric of his jacket. The moment had only just come to an end, and she could already imagine herself replaying it over and over a million times in her head.

"I was actually going to ask if we could dim the lights," she teased, still slightly breathless. "But I think I liked your idea better."

Volkner just laughed. "Happy Valentine's Day, Candice."

* * *

She'd known this would happen sooner or later. The last of the fireworks were fading from the horizon, and Candice watched wistfully as they disappeared, not wanting the night to be over just yet.

"So this is it." She cast a hopeful glance at Volkner, silently praying that it wasn't.

"This is it," he repeated, but his voice made it pretty clear that he didn't want it to be, either. "Unless… you wanted to see the beach?"

"I'd love to."

* * *

As they descended upon the beach, Candice noticed a man approaching, his figure obscured by the nighttime shadows—all but his vibrant red hair.

Volkner stopped in his tracks. "On second thought, how about seeing the city instead?"

But that looked like—"Hey, isn't that Flint?" It had to be. It wasn't every day she came across a guy with hair like that. "What's he doing around here?"

"No idea. Let's just go. The beach gets cold at night, anyway." Volkner shrugged with feigned carelessness, but his tense shoulders made it obvious something was up.

And she was about to find out exactly what it was. "Hey, Flint!"

"Hey, you two!" A voice that was unmistakably Flint's echoed across the beach as he ran up to them, a look of absolute glee on his face. "How'd you like the fireworks?"

"Loved them," she replied cheerfully, as Volkner stood beside her in anxious silence. "You saw them too?"

"Saw them?" Flint flashed her a proud grin. "Try 'set them off.' Never had so much fun in my life."

"Wait, that was _you_ with the fireworks?" Now things were starting to make sense. If there was one person she knew who was a little too fond of fire…

"Oh yeah. It wasn't easy, believe me. Volkner and I had a hell of a time smuggling them over from Kanto last Friday."

Candice looked from Flint to Volkner and back to Flint again as the meaning of his words sunk in. "You guys planned this?"

"Are you kidding? Volkner's been planning this for weeks."

"_Flint_." Volkner glared at him.

"What, you didn't tell her?"

And as Flint found himself the unlucky recipient of a lengthy verbal assault from his furious best friend, Candice couldn't help but smile. After tonight, there was absolutely no denying that even Volkner had a romantic side.

No matter _how_ hard he tried to hide it.

* * *

_A/N: Go ahead. Tell me anything. Even if it's "No way, Volkner and Jasmine forever!" or "Oh, god, not another lighthouse story." What did you like? What didn't you like? Which valentine was your favorite? How evil was that cliffhanger at the end of chapter two? Did the ending take you by surprise, or did you see it coming a million miles away? Is anyone even reading this now that the Black/White sequels are out?_

_As always, I can't thank you all enough for the reviews… you guys are awesome! :)_


End file.
